A Pleasant Diversion
by lildaemon
Summary: Why is it they are capable of showing affection only during dangerous near-death experiences? Post-DVMC. Rated M to be safe.
1. Prologue

**PLEASE NOTE:** This story takes place after the events of "Dancing Very Merry Christmas", but doesn't necessarily fit into FMP novel timeline. May contain mild spoilers for novels up to and including DVMC. Rated M to be safe - though there's nothing even remotely dangerous in this chapter.

* * *

Even though the two of them lived directly across from each other, Kaname rarely visited Sousuke's apartment, so she was a little more than confused when her usually meek friend and classmate called her over. Her confusion only increased when she arrived to find two of Sousuke's Mithril colleagues waiting for her with "an important mission".

And thus, Chidori Kaname found herself sitting at a small table, brows furrowed as her eyes swiftly skimmed the English document that had been presented to her. Beside the young woman sat Sagara Sousuke, whose expression mirrored his friend's as he also read through the concisely written orders.

Having little difficulty with common English texts, the young Japanese woman found herself struggling to understand the main point behind the all the complex terms. But, the moment Kaname reached an infinitely long list of terms under the heading of "Equipment", she abandoned the paper and opted for the oral clarification.

"So, you guys have been ordered to crash a party?" Her question was directed to the woman sitting directly across from here, who up to that point had been regarding the pair with the look of one who had been watching paint dry.

Melissa Mao answered in a tone that reflected her expression, "Yeah, that seems to be the gist of it."

Beside her sat an unusually subdued Kurz Weber. With a defeated groan, he collapsed onto the table top, "This mission should've been my freebee, but instead I'm stuck on sentry duty. Why wasn't I assigned as a covert operative?!"

"You'd stick out like a sore thumb in a room full of Asians." His superior officer bluntly reminded him.

"But he'd probably still blend in better than Sousuke here," Kaname pointed out, "I don't think anyone could be a worse pick than Sousuke as an undercover agent."

At the mention of his name, the last member of the party looked up from the paper and finally spoke in his regular crisp voice, "I think that's quite rude, Chidori. I am actually very skilled at espionage."

Resisting the urge to scoff at his claim, Kaname instead turned back to leader of the group. "So, I've read your mission outline, but I still don't get why I'm here."

Beside her, the young sergeant agreed, "I'm also confused. This sounds like a very straightforward reconnaissance mission: "temporarily neutralize the target and install bugs into his personal communication devices". Why assign this to SRT?"

The Second Lieutenant of Mithril looked at them both with a serious expression, "Because it seems that PRT have already failed twice."

Even Kaname, who had minimal military knowledge, understood the situation. After a double screwing up, they were now calling for the elites to step up.

"Though the objective may sound simple, our target this time is quite elusive and has slipped past our PRT units during our previous attempts to make contact."

"Has he become aware that he's being targeted?"

Mao shook her head, "There has been no reason to believe that he has. He's probably just overly cautious by nature. However, from the intelligence reports that we have received, there's been one thing that consistently draws this snake out of his hole."

She then slid another sheet of paper in front of both Sousuke and Kaname. There was a single sentence highlighted amidst the text heavy report: "Target has repeatedly appeared before Asian females in their late teens to early twenties with slim builds and long dark hair."

When Kaname looked up from the page, she found all three pairs of eyes in the room staring at her with varying expressions.

"Huh? What? You don't mean…"

"It's out of the question. She is a civilian." Sousuke swiftly cut in.

Ignoring her team mate's objection, Mao pressed harder, "We're just asking you to be a decoy, Kaname. If all goes according to plan, you won't even have to make contact."

"That's optimistic thinking." Sousuke's cold voice interrupted again.

"The mission states that both you and Kaname will be there strictly as back-up. Your orders require neither of you to engage the enemy. It's quite safe." Mao answered him in an calm, even tone.

"Regardless, by bringing her to the location, she will be in danger."

"Our priority is–"

"Hold on a minute! Why do you even need me?" Kaname asked after reading the highlighted statement for the fourth time, "I mean… with a wig, Mao should be enough to–"

At this question, Kurz snorted, "During the debriefing on base, Intelligence hinted that Sis might be too old to attract–"

A swift punch curtly ended the sergeant's unflattering remarks.

"I _will_ be there as the bait, however…" she seemed to grit her teeth as she continued, "we need to ensure that we'll be able to secure the target this time. Kaname will undoubtedly increase our chances of success. Let me remind you that this mission is already putting Operations to shame. A third failure will not be well received."

But, Sousuke showed no signs of backing down, "The success of this mission has nothing to do with Chidori. Are there are no other personnel?"

Mao sighed in exasperation, "Don't you think we've already looked? The only other possibility at this point is Tessa."

"Captain?!"

Kaname found herself tense; whether it was from the mention of the other Whispered girl or from Sousuke's surprised tone, she couldn't be sure.

"Yeah. Tessa has already volunteered to be your partner for this mission. The guys in the disguise department say they can make it work, but of course, we're still all against it. It's just that if there are no other options–"

"I'll do it." Kaname's quiet voice echoed through the apartment. For a moment the other three could only regard her in stunned silence.

"Chidori?"

She avoided Sousuke's concerned eyes as she repeated herself, sounding as determined as ever, "I'll do it! Just tell me what I need to do!"

* * *

**Author's Notes:  
[2009.07.29] **After catching up on all my FMP reading, I felt the need to write something of my own. Please feel free to leave any comments and criticisms! I'll keep the update status posted on my profile page. Take care and happy reading!


	2. Preparation

Sousuke grunted as he gruffly tightened the tie around his neck. His dislike of the impractical piece of clothing was more than obvious.

"Whoa there, Sousuke. You'll need to breathe during this mission, you know." Kurz chuckled in the chair behind him. Staring into the mirror, Sousuke eyed his comrade's simple black combat uniform somewhat enviously as he roughly fixed the collar of his shirt.

Beside him, Corporal Yang was buttoning up his own vest. There was wary smile on the face of newest member of the SRT team as he watched his younger teammate's actions through the mirror. "Try to relax, Sousuke. We're supposed to be attending a party, right?"

It wasn't until Sousuke arrived at their Mithril safe house in Okinawa earlier that afternoon that he learned Yang would be joining his usual three-man team. Though Yang was not as skilled a fighter as most other SRT, with his agreeable personality and sharp wits, he was ideally suited for their current undercover operation. And since this infiltration mission required them to be more discreet than usual, it was one of those rare cases where Sousuke actually preferred Yang's presence to Kurz's.

In addition to Mao, there were now four SRT members assigned to a single reconnaissance mission. He knew the mission was practically a luxury considering their secure location _and_ minimal enemy resistance. Nevertheless, he still resented the situation he was in, so if it meant taking it out on his frivolous attire, then so be it.

"That one time on the Pacific Chrysalis–" He snatched his tuxedo vest off the chair.

"–was supposed to be–" Every button was shoved through its hole.

"–the first and last time–" The tie was forcefully stuffed into the vest.

"–we used her as bait." He tugged at the bottom of the vest to straighten everything out. Darkly grumbling under his breath was about as close to whining as Sagara Sousuke could get.

He felt Yang put a firm hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry, Sousuke. Mao and I will try to take care of everything, so you can focus on keeping Kaname safe."

"And don't forget, I'll be there ready to sweep in and save the day." His other team member flashed a thumbs up in the mirror.

Feeling no less anxious than before, Sousuke gave them both a stiff nod of thanks anyways.

"That's the spirit!" Kurz grinned as he tossed the two men their tuxedo jackets, "Now let's go meet our lovely ladies."

* * *

Kaname stood staring at herself in the mirror, completely blown away by skills of Mithril's professional make-up artists. Though they used a very modest amount of make-up, Kaname noticed that somehow her eyes looked more brown, her lips fuller and to her pleasant surprise, her nose smaller. Turning around, the young woman couldn't help but run her hands through her long black hair that now covered her back in the form of large loose ringlets. Her front locks were curled into tight springs that framed her face to make her appear older than her seventeen years of age.

The dress that had been chosen for her also served the same purpose. Deep blue in colour, it was so long that it pooled around her feet, yet still managed to cover so little of her chest. As if to further emphasize that point, she wore a long silver chain with a smooth piece of lapis lazuli that strategically hung just above her cleavage. Needless to say, the young woman was feeling a bit self-conscious.

"You look good, Kaname."

She saw Mao join her in front of the mirror to readjust her wig for the final time.

"Is it uncomfortable?" Kaname asked, staring at the unfamiliar long black hair.

Mao shook her head, simultaneously fluffing her wavy locks, "I've worn this one a few times before already. You get used to it."

There was a short pause, before the older woman asked, "How are you feeling?"

Kaname unconsciously fiddled with her transmitter-disguised-bracelet. "It's finally starting to settle in now; we're going to be luring out a man who is suspected of pulling the strings behind a multi-million dollar arms smuggling operation. I guess the nerves are kicking in right about now," she admitted with a forced smile.

"Kaname," Mao was now looking directly at her, a serious look on her face, "I've read the reports; I know about your bravery in Khanka, during the A21 attack, and of course on the Pacific Chrysalis and though I am grateful, I _absolutely_ do not want you to do anything heroic tonight. Actually, as the commanding officer of this operation, I'm going to order you to refrain from taking any action that could possibly put you in danger, understood?"

Unsure of how to address a commanding officer, Kaname chose to nod. She watched as Mao's strict demeanour melted into a kind smile, "Good. Yang and I will take care of the mission – you just stick to Sousuke and look pretty."

At this Kaname gave a weak laugh, "Sounds easy enough, I guess."

Then putting a reassuring hand on the younger woman's shoulder, Mao smiled, "Let's get this party started then."

They exited the room in silence, Mao straying back to lock the door behind them. Kaname was already halfway down the hall when she heard the other woman call out to her.

"I forgot to mention, Kaname. I got a message from the De Daanan before you arrived: Mithril's approved your request for an extended stay here."

Kaname responded to the message with a blank stare, "A request for what?"

"It's basically equivalent to free accommodations at a Okinawa resort."

"And _I_ requested this?"

Mao shrugged, "Well regardless if you made the request or not, I suggest that you take what they're giving you. A free weekend vacation on a subtropical island? Hell yeah!"

Suddenly, the prospect of spending a weekend away from her home in Tokyo sounded extremely appealing, especially after her previous two school trip had been ruined.

"Yeah, why not?" She mused, "Since we're here anyways, right?"

Beside her, Mao agreed, "Exactly! A little beach can't do you any harm."

"Are you and Kurz staying as well?"

The female soldier's long groan made the answer obvious. "No, we're both being called back to base right after this mission. It's a shame because I could really work on my tan."

They had now reached the stairs down to the ground floor. Still feeling a little apprehensive about her heels, Kaname faltered at the steps before choosing to reach for the handrail on the way down. In front of her, Mao gracefully descended without so much as a pause, one hand on her hip, the other holding her clutch.

"Is Sousuke leaving with you guys?"

She watched dark wavy hair move back and forth as Mao presumably shook her head. "I don't know. I didn't receive any orders regarding Sousuke."

Kaname made a mental note to bring it up with him later.

* * *

The two women were greeted with a loud cat-call the moment they stepped into the main lobby.

"Just seeing you two in those dresses makes this mission totally worth it."

As Kaname stopped at the bottom of the stairs fighting her blush, Mao advanced forward, grabbing the man by the cheek. Kurz's pained protests were blatantly ignored.

"This mission is worth nothing unless we succeed. You better take this seriously!"

"Dun warry, Shish! I ham!"

As Kaname watched the temperamental leader drag her sergeant away, she noticed another familiar smile directed towards her.

"Yang! Good to see you again."

"I'm glad to see you well, Kaname. There's no need to be nervous – you look lovely." Though, his tone was perfectly amiable, she still couldn't help but flush redder at his compliment.

"Yang," an angry voice called out from across the room, "get over here and help me with this big oaf."

"I already told you, Sis! I have this plan memorized down to the second!"

"Except the entire section you _forgot_! We're gonna go over it _again_!"

Kaname heard Yang's quiet sigh as he regarded the usual bickering between his second lieutenant and fellow teammate. He made a move to join them, but then turned back towards her instead.

"By the way, Kaname," he said with a crooked smile, "I think Sousuke is even more tense than usual having you here, so try not to give him any reason to bring out the guns tonight, okay?"

She responded to his advice with a mock salute, though her promise was genuine, "I'll do my best, sir!" Then as an afterthought, she added, "Where is he anyways?"

As Mao's threats became louder and more violent, Yang hurriedly pointed behind him before he politely excused himself.

Scanning the lobby, she spotted the back of a tuxedo clad figure staring out the large windows facing the beach. The sun had already began setting, so the entire shoreline glowed a stunning orange and the residual rays illuminated a ethereal outline around the young man.

As she slowly approached him, Kaname immediately noticed his usually dishevelled hair had been gelled back, making him appear even stiffer than usual. Standing tall in his rigid posture, she had to admit Sousuke looked impeccable in his tuxedo. When she was close enough to get a clear look at his profile, Kaname inexplicably found herself drawn to his face. Before she realized it, she was less than an arm's length away and was reaching her hand towards his left cheek.

He must have noticed her because Sousuke calmly turned away from the window and gave her a curious look, "Is something wrong, Chidori?"

Her hand froze in midair. "Your scar…"

She watched as Sousuke gingerly rubbed a spot right above the left side of his jaw. "Ah. I was advised to hide any identifiable features during these missions. Is it still visible?"

"No, it's incredible. You can't see anything. It looks completely normal…" Kaname couldn't resist the temptation to feel for herself. Though the area of skin looked completely natural, she could feel the concealer under her fingertips and the faint lines of where his scar lay hidden. In the midst of her fascination, she was completely oblivious to the fact that she was steadily tilting his head downwards in effort to get a better look.

"It looks good on you." Sousuke's sudden comment brusquely interrupted her thorough examination.

When she looked up to meet his eyes, Kaname realized that Sousuke's gaze had dropped past her face, down the front of her dress – her very low cut dress. She quickly retracted her hand, instinctively moving it over her chest.

"W-what?"

He met her wide eyes with a faint smile. "The lapis lazuli. It suits you very well."

The stone suddenly felt cold under her palm when she realized where he had been staring. The initial feeling was that of disappointment: of course Sousuke wasn't admiring the way she filled out her knock-out dress. The libido-less soldier hadn't spared her a second glance when she wore a bikini that didn't even cover a tenth as much, so what interest would he have in a little cleavage. But before bitterness transformed into self-doubt, her rationality kicked back in; along with it arrived the familiar warmth she felt whenever Sousuke sporadically did something thoughtful. When she contemplated his comment, Kaname realized that coming from Sagara Sousuke, those words were probably the highest form compliment. A slightly embarrassed smile graced her features as she struggled to come up with an appropriate response.

"Y-you look pretty sharp yourself, Sousuke."

"I take that to be a compliment?"

"It is." She reassured him with a grin.

"In that case, thank you." He rewarded her with one of his rare unrestrained smiles that made her heart do funny things – _that damned traitorous heart_.

But his smile swiftly faded as Kaname heard the sharp steps of Mao's stilettos growing louder.

"Are you two ready?"

Kaname turned to face their commanding officer. She answered with a single firm nod. At the same time, she heard Sousuke's crisp "affirmative" from beside her.

"Remember, if you encounter Nakano Taro, don't do anything that might scare him off." She shot a pointed look at Sousuke, "Especially you, Sousuke – if Nakano approaches you two, just shut up and let Kaname do the talking, understand?"

There was something akin to outright confusion on his face. "But–"

"That's an order!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" His back snapped even straighter with his salute.

Appearing satisfied with his response, Mao gave a curt nod and continued with her instructions, "Urzu-9 and I are now heading out in the first car. Make sure you and Angel follow in the second car _after_ 5 minutes has passed. Urzu-6 will be taking the rear and be on standby for emergencies."

"Roger."

"Alright then! Let's hope the damn bastard is feeling horny tonight."

Patiently waiting by the exit, Kurz sneezed.

* * *

Since leaving Tokyo, it felt as if she and Sousuke had been pulled from one briefing to another, leaving them no time to speak between themselves. Much to her dismay, even when they were given the opportunity to have an undisturbed conversation, Sousuke immediately shifted back into his _Specialist Mode_.

The young woman watched as the professional soldier beside her sat with a look of intense concentration on his face, silently memorizing a thick biography in his hands.

A similar package sat on Kaname's lap, though she had read over her document so many times she felt uncomfortable just looking at it. There was a disconcerting amount of information in the biography; it wasn't only the sheer volume, but also the frightening depth of the descriptions detailing every aspect of the individual's life: from her favourite cereal to the average length of her showers to her first time reaching second base. Having that much knowledge about another person was enough to send shivers down _anybody's_ spine. Again, Kaname glanced over to where Sousuke sat looking completely unperturbed by his reading material. _Well, any _normal_ person's spine at least._

Staring down at her forged invitation and fake identification wearily, she finally asked, "Who's Ito Shizuna?"

"You are." Sousuke answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I know _that_ already," she snapped indignantly. His brisk automatic answer only further fuelled her frustrations, "What I meant is whose identity have I stolen?"

"Ito Shizuna is a very common name." He informed her offhandedly, eyes never straying off his paper, "It's just an alias."

"So is _Matsumoto Satoshi_ also a made up entity?"

"Affirmative. Both identities have been fabricated by Intelligence; their backgrounds are complete works of fiction."

His answer immediately relieved the awful feeling in the pit of Kaname's stomach, though there was still a concern gnawing away at her, "Why do we need fake names anyways?"

"In the oft chance that we are discovered, we will be able to escape without leaving behind any tracks. Furthermore, if we are captured, they may attempt to wring information–"

The blood drained out of her face as she felt her internal organs twist into a giant knot. "C-captured?!"

Finally abandoning his reading, Sousuke turned and addressed her cautiously, "Chidori?"

The girl in question buried her face into her hands, "Why am I even here?"

"You're the one who insisted on coming."

"But, why-why would you tell me these things now?!"

"Didn't you just ask?"

"Well, if you had any tact, you could've said something like, "That information is classified" or "It's not a problem!"" She had his voice perfected down to his tone and pitch.

"Those are insufficient responses to your valid question – vague answers at best. You should always have as much information as possible before entering a mission."

"You senseless idiot–"

"Sergeant! We're now approaching the target location!"

Ignoring Kaname's verbal onslaught, Sousuke promptly turned his attention to the driver, "Roger. What is the status of Urzu-2 and 9?"

There was a short pause before the driver replied, "They have just arrived at Point Alpha and are about to disembark the vehicle."

"Understood." Then turning back to Kaname, he placed a firm hand on her shoulder and said, "It's almost time. Are you ready, Shizuna?"

At that moment, staring into Sousuke's resolute dark eyes, Kaname became intensely aware of the warmth of his hand on her bare shoulder and how quickly the heat was spreading throughout the rest of her body. Taking a deep breath, she allowed herself a smile as her usual gung-ho attitude returned in full force.

"Let's get this over with then."

* * *

**Author's Notes:  
[2009.08.22] **If you've ever read my other stories, you'll know that I love my detailed (overly detailed?) set-ups. Actually, my other long running fic has seven whole chapters worth of setup ~haha! _But_ no worries, because the preparations are done here; next chapter: **_Action and Diversion. _**Please feel free to leave all forms of criticism! Comments are always read and appreciated! As always, updates posted on profile page.


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